Loving You
by Firestorm2004
Summary: Heiji disappeared with only a 'I've got to go. Kudo's in trouble.' Now, six months later, Kazuha receives a call from him at 5 in the morning. Will she let him back into her life? Song fic


Loving You

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or the song. ("Keep on Loving You")

**Bring...Bring...Bring**

The constant noise from her cell phone brought Toyama Kazuha out of her sleep. _Who on earth is calling me at this time of night?_ she wondered as she searched for her phone. When she finally found it, she was annoyed to no end.

"Moshi, Moshi. Whoever this is, you'd better have a good reason for calling me this early," she angrily told the other person.

"Nice to hear from you too, Kazuha," the deep male voice sounded in her ear. It couldn't be, could it?

"Heiji?!"

_You should've seen by the look in my eyes, baby   
There was something missing   
_

"The one and only."

"What are you doing calling me at five am for?"

"I couldn't sleep, and since I hadn't seen you in a long time, I thought I might ask to see if you wanted to do something."

Hadn't seen her was right. He'd not even been in Osaka for the past six months. Sure, he called every once in a while, but that wasn't the same. He'd even left without much of a goodbye. Just an 'I've got to go. Kudo's in trouble,' and then he was out the door, disappearing into the evening sky. She'd stood at the door until the darkness destroyed any sight of him. She had an uneasy feeling that something bad was going to happen, and she couldn't be there for him. That hurt her worse than anything else.

She'd waited for him to return, almost afraid that he might do what Shinichi was doing to Ran. Ran hadn't seen Shinichi in over a year except for once or twice. Most of the time, he'd call her and they'd talk for a few minutes. Kazuha wasn't for sure that if Heiji did that to her, she'd be able to survive as well as Ran was. After all, to her, Heiji was the world, not that she'd ever let him know that; or anyone else, for that matter.

_You should've known by the tone a' my voice, maybe   
But you didn't listen   
_

"Um...Why now? Do you have to leave soon?" She knew her voice was wavering, for she was hoping that he'd say 'no' but dreading if he did say 'yes'.

Heiji laughed. "No way! I'm not leaving for a long time. So, do you want to do something? Or should I wait until later in the morning."

Kazuha felt her heart leap for joy. Heiji was back for good! "Give me about a half an hour to be ready, and then come pick me up. And please, don't use your motorcycle. It's too cold for us to ride it. Also, what are we going to do?"

"That's a surprise. Also, I have a car, so don't worry about being cold. My dad is letting me borrow it."

"Letting, or are you just not asking?"

Heiji laughed again. "Hey, now. Come on, you know I don't do that."

Kazuha laughed as well. "Alright, I'll see you in a few minutes then. Arigato, Heiji."

"No, arigato, Kazuha. I'm glad you agreed to come. I'll pick you up at about 5:30. See you then."

_You played dead, but you never bled,   
Instead you lay still in the grass, all coiled up and hissing_

Kazuha put the phone down, and quickly jumped into the shower. Because her family was on the richer side, she had her own bath room and so she didn't wake the others with the running water. She didn't want to have to explain to her father about why she was taking a shower at five in the morning.

As she got out and changed, her mind returned to what she'd been feeling for the past six months. The pain of not knowing if Heiji was really okay despite him saying he was, the sorrow of not having him near her, the joy when he did call her. All of these emotions had changed her over the last couple of months. The emotions had taught her to hold onto that which she prized. She was determined to not let Heiji go so easily this time.

_And though I know all about those men   
Still I don't remember   
_

Even though he was a detective, Heiji always seemed to have time for her. Sometimes it was just a hello, and others he'd actually come to visit her. At least, that was the way it was until he'd run off. It took her forever not to turn in her chair to try to talk to him during school. Everyone had noticed that she seemed to be on auto pilot for the first couple of days. It took that long for it to sink in that Heiji wasn't going to return quickly. 'Why?' She had wondered that a lot. Why did he suddenly have to go? Why did Kudo Shinichi mean more to him than she did? It hurt for a long time when she thought about this.

What hurt her more, though, was that he'd kept her in the dark. Sure, he'd call her every once in a while, but he'd never tell her what he was actually doing or how soon he'd be able to come back. Every time he'd call, she would fight back the tears, trying not to let him know how much she really missed him. Trying not to make him return home quickly out of fear for her; even though she wanted that more than anything else.

Because he'd said that Kudo was in trouble, she'd tried to stay strong. That was one of the strong points about Heiji. When ever his friends were in trouble, he could always be counted on to help them out. It wasn't easy for her to let him go, but she knew he was needed with Shinichi more than she needed him. After all, hadn't she had him for the past eleven years?

_Cause it was us, baby, way before them   
And we're still together_

They'd first met when they were just little kids. Their fathers had worked together, and so they introduced the kids to one another. At first, neither wanted anything to do with the other one. When you were that little, it wasn't 'cool' to play with the opposite gender. Soon, though, they became good friends. They'd stayed that way all through elementary, junior high, and now into high school.

Because of their friendship, they were asked many times if they were dating. Soon, it was the running joke in their class at high school at they were married. Even though she blushed at the thought of Heiji being her husband, Kazuha covered it very well by attacking who ever made such a comment. Heiji, she noticed, would stammer a lot and sometimes go red. At least that was the way he did it at the beginning. Now, he was just like her: he'd attack the person responsible for the comment. She really didn't mind it as much anymore. She just was glad that she and Heiji were still friends.

_And I meant, every word I said   
When I said that I love you, I meant that I'd love you forever   
_

Friends she could live with, even though she wanted more. Because she loved him so much, she didn't want to hurt him if he didn't love her in return. If he loved someone else, she had decided not to try to stand in the way, even though part of her wanted to latch on to him and keep him away from every other girl. Unfortunately, she knew that if Heiji didn't love her, she would hurt even more for hurting him.

She'd never told him out loud; instead, her heart tried to tell him how much he meant to her. She loved him, and she would love him forever. She wanted nothing to do with any of the other guys. Of course, being a tomboy helped keep most of them away. She did notice one thing, though. When ever a guy seemed to like Kazuha and she didn't like it, Heiji would always 'protect' her. She really didn't mind this; in fact, she really enjoyed it when Heiji would fight for her.

_And I'm gonna keep on loving you   
Cause it's the only thing I wanna do   
_

There was no way that she'd ever let Heiji go. Even if she couldn't be his lover, she still wanted to be his friend. It would hurt worse if he totally didn't like her because she'd told him her feelings. That was what made her not want to tell him. She was afraid of rejection. She didn't want to lose him forever. She wanted to be at his side, next to him at night. Not just be someone he knows or a person that he knew when he was younger.

Kazuha shook her head as she stepped out of the shower and dried off. _Since when was I such a sentimental fool?_ she wondered to herself as she got dressed. She knew when she had become so sentimental. It was the day that she'd realized her feelings toward Heiji. Now, hardly anything mattered. She didn't think about anything else.

_I don't wanna sleep   
I just wanna keep on loving you_

Over the last six months, she hardly had done anything else besides thinking about him. Her days were filled with wild ideas of him coming back and proclaiming his love for her. At night, she would stay awake for hours thinking about what she would do when he finally did return. Every time he'd call, she'd be on her phone for as long as she could, just listening to him speak about how he missed being back in Osaka. Sometimes, he'd stop and ask her some questions about how she was doing, if she was having a hard time.

Every time he'd do this, tears would start to spring up, but her will would hold them back. She'd tell him that she was fine, but somehow he always seemed to know when it wasn't. She was glad for his small words of comfort that he'd give her when the pain would seem almost unbearable. She was glad he was a detective.

She had just finished her hair when she heard a knock at the side door near her room. Quickly gathering her things, she headed to see Heiji.

_And I meant, every word I said   
When I said that I love you, I meant that I'd love you forever   
_

Heiji shivered slightly as he waited for Kazuha to answer her door. He'd been ready since before he'd called her. He had arrived back in Osaka at two in the morning, his first though to see Kazuha. Even though he knew she wouldn't complain about seeing him that early, he wanted to give her some more sleep and him some time to reflect what had been going on for the last six months.

He hadn't meant for him to be gone that long. According to Shinichi when he'd first been told, it would only be a week or two. Nope; with that boy, nothing was quick or easy. Instead, it turned out to be **SIX** months. It was all he could do not to come rushing back because of Kazuha. Every time he had the opportunity, he'd call her. Every time, she wanted to know when he was coming back. Every time, he had to lie to her; tell her that he might be home soon. It was hard to ignore the pain in her voice every time he heard her speak about how she missed him.

_DAMN! I felt so much like Kudo! How on earth has he managed to do it for a whole two years?_ Heiji wasn't very happy about not being there for Kazuha. It sounded like she was having a hard time coping with him not being there. He sure wasn't having an easy time.

Even though he never admitted it to her, he had loved her for years. He had felt his love for her grow abundantly during the last few months. The love he had before he left was dull compared to the love he felt now. He knew that he'd never love another like he did her. He wanted her to be his forever.

One thing that scared him out of telling her what she meant to him was that she might have gotten over him. After all, he hadn't even talked with her for the last two months. _Of course, you realize that her coming with you this morning maybe a sign that she still even slightly cares for you, _a rational part of his brain told him. Heiji certainly hoped so.

_And I'm gonna keep on loving you   
Cause it's the only thing I wanna do   
_

The door opened, disrupting all other thoughts. "Heiji!" Kazuha shouted as she launched herself at the detective, who looked very surprised to find her in his arms. Not that he minded, though.

"I missed you too," Heiji quietly told the teenager, putting his arms around her. They just stood there, holding each other. To them, they were in another world, one without the pain from being split apart. To them, nothing else mattered. They were in each other's arms and that was where they wanted to be.

Heiji sighed happily. Here in his arms was the girl of his dreams. As he continued to hold her, his mind returned to what he'd done the past six months. Even though he never told her, he missed her terribly. Every minute of his free time was spent thinking about her. Thinking about their relationship. He wanted for it to change. Before he'd left to help Shinichi, he'd not told her for another reason besides rejection: danger. He didn't want to put her in any danger. Especially now that he was helping Shinichi take down one of the largest evil organizations of the century.

The Black Organization was not a very nice group. They'd not only kill their target, but the target's family, cousins, associates, boss and even a former acquaintance. That was what scared him even more than rejection. He could survive having her turn down his love, even though it would not be very easy. At least, though, she'd be alive. If the Black Ops found her, she'd die. That, he could not live with. No one was going to harm his Kazuha.

_I don't wanna sleep   
I just wanna keep on loving you   
_

Almost every night, he'd lay awake thinking about her. In his dreams, he'd rush over to her, and her to him. They'd be in each other's arms, just sitting somewhere. When he finally mustered up the courage in his dreams, he'd tell her how he felt. To his joy, she'd return his feelings.

They would then continue to hold each other as Heiji's mind shut down in joy. No, joy wasn't a strong enough word. It was more like elation. It was like he had a smaller version of himself in the back of his mind that was jumping up and down, shouting for joy about how the pretty girl likes him.

Heiji smiled as he thought about his dreams. Those dreams were what allowed him to survive that time of being without the woman that he loved, the woman he still loves. Still smiling, he looked down right into her bright, big, blue eyes. One look and all thoughts were gone. Just like that, she rendered him to before a cave man.

"Heiji? Heiji? You okay?" Kazuha asked him. All he returned was a blank look. _Uh oh, I think I broke his brain!_ Kazuha thought, laughing somewhat on the inside.

"...uuhh...pretty girl...love..." Heiji stated, not realizing what he was saying.

'_Pretty girl...love'? _Kazuha thought blushing. _Does he actually like me? Is it too much to hope for?_

"...love...you...pretty girl..." he continued to ramble on, oblivious to Kazuha's reddening face.

_Baby I'm gonna keep on loving you   
'Cause it's the only thing I wanna do   
_

"Heiji? You okay?" Kazuha asked, her face beet red. This wasn't normal Hattori Heiji behavior. "Heiji?"

She shook him, trying to bring him out of his daze. To her surprise, instead of loosing his hold on her, he squeezed tighter.

"Mine!" He stated.

_Yep, I've gone and broken his brain,_ Kazuha thought. _Though, it does have nice results. It's not so cold for one...BAD Kazuha! This is HEIJI for crying out loud. Why would you think he even remotely likes you? This is the guy that steals your hair bows. _

"Mine!" Heiji stated again. "All mine. My Kazuha."

That did it for Kazuha. She stopped shaking him and leaned into him, lost in her own world. _Did I just hear him correctly? 'My Kazuha'?_

In Heiji's brain, he was slowly evolving past the point of speech. _Mine. MINE. MINE! MY GIRL!_ When his intelligence reasserted itself, he looked back on what he'd been saying. _'Love you'? 'Pretty girl'? 'Mine'? 'My Kazuha'?...OH SHOOT! I DIDN'T...I did...Well, lord of the underworld, prepare a nice place for me. I'm coming for a long visit. I'm so dead. I might as well just go play in traffic._

"Kazuha?" Heiji asked, a little frightened. He wasn't for sure what her reaction would be. "You alright?"

"...uh? Oh, Heiji," she looked startled, but otherwise calm. Her face was still beet red, though.

"Kazuha, you alright?" Heiji asked again, his fear growing.

"Y...yeah..." Deciding to bite the bullet, Kazuha gathered up her courage. "Heiji...did you mean what you said? About you...loving me? About 'my Kazuha'?" She couldn't look him in the face so she stared at his shirt.

_Oh shoot. Well, I've already said it, so I might as well go all out,_ Heiji thought to himself.

"Y...yeah." He muttered. "Yeah, I do."

The silence between the two felt like it lasted ages.

"I see..." Kazuha spoke softly.

_Great! _Heiji thought with heavy sarcasm. _Now I've lost her for good. I knew she didn't like me that way._

"Lo...love you too..."

_Well, I might as well leave. There's nothing else worth being here for..._

Getting no reaction out of him, Kazuha looked up, right into Heiji's eyes. "I love you too, you baka."

_Yep, might as well...wait...wait a moment. Did she just 'love you'? No way. She actually cares?_ He looked down, his eyes meeting Kazuha's teary eyes. _Yep, she definitely cares. YEAH WHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_I don't wanna sleep,_

_I just wanna keep on loving you_

Heiji smiled and Kazuha smiled back. Finally, they had admitted their feelings to each other. Now, their love could grow. To them, the world just couldn't be any better. As the sun rose in the background, it bathed the couple with light that made them seem to glow.

As the glow continued, Heiji tightened his hold a little more. "I'm glad."

Kazuha said something, but it was muddled in his shirt. It felt so natural for them to be together that they didn't want to let go. Too soon, Heiji had to brake the hug. Pulling back, he looked at the dark haired goddess in front of him. _Why did it take me so long to realize that she's beautiful?_ Heiji thought. "You ready?" he asked her, holding out his hand.

Kazuha nodded and took his hand. "More than ready."

AN: Wow! That was one of the hardest stories I've ever written. There aren't many Heiji/Kazuha stories out there, so my sister convinced me to write one. I'll have to thank her again for beta reading it. If you haven't heard the song, I suggest listening to it. I thought it worked very well for this couple. Please, review and let me know how you like it. Thanks!


End file.
